Buckle for wristbands and similar uses.



H. J. COLLIS. BUCKLE FOR WRISTBANDS AND SIMILAR USES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. 1915- Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

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HENRYJAMES COLLIS, 0F TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUCKLE FOR WRISTBANDS AND SIMILAR USES.

Application filed May 7, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY JAMES OoLLIs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Taunton, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles for Wristbands and Similar Uses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buckles for wrist bands and similar uses, and it has particular relation to an improved clamp buckle of a pulley type which will enable effective adjustment to very slight degrees.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and improvedbuckle of the character above set forth,which will possess advantages in point of ease of adjustment, convenience, eifectiveness, and general efficiency.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a wrist band having the improved buckle in operative association, the buckle being shown in open position and parts of the wrist band being shown broken away to illustrate the underlying construction.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on the longitudinal plane of the strap of the wrist band as shown in Fig. 1, and showing the buckle in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section, taken on the line a2:v, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail cross-section, taken on the line y-y, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view showing the inner or under side of the buckle in its operative connection with the wrist band,parts being broken away to show features of construction.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the blank from which the body of the buckle is formed.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of the buckle, which comprises a main flat plate portion, 2, from the side edges of which at the front extend upwardlyprojecting flanges or arms, 3'3, and at the rear portion of which extend similar upwardly-projecting flanges or arms, 4-4. The'front arms 33 carry the clamp member, 5, of the buckle, and for this purpose are provided, at a suitable distance above the body plate 2, with perforations, 6, receiving gudgeons, 7-7, projecting at opposite sides of the fulcrum of the clamp 5 and having a cam action in said bearing perforations 6 Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

Serial No. 26,476.

in the operation of the clamp. The arms 4l4 at the rear portion of the body plate 2 are designed to carry a pulley member, 8, and for this purpose are provided, preferably on a plane coincident with that of the perforations 6 of the arms 8, with cylindrical perforations, 9, which receive corresponding cylindrical gudgeons, 1010, upon the ends of the pulley member 8 and constitute a bearing therefor in the rotary movement of the pulley.

The pulley 8 is constituted by a solid cylindrical bar reduced or circumferentially shouldered, as at 11, at its ends, to form integrally the bearing gudgeons 10, this solid construction. being for purposes of greater strength in the operative ofiice of the pulley during its revolution under action of the strap. The clamp member 5 is preferably constituted by a plate having a cam flange, 12, projecting from the fulcrum of the clamp and operating to bind the strap against the body plate 2, and a finger plate, 1 1-, projecting rearwardly from said cam flange and at right angles thereto and constituting the main body portion of the clamp by which the latter is operated upon its fulcrum. The body plate 14: of the clamp member projects rearwardly and is adapted to overlie and cover the pulley 8 when the buckle is in closed position, and in the preferred construction it is bowed transversely, as at 15, in concavo-convex form to fit over and conform to the segment of the circumference of the pulley S and thus enhance the flat character of the buckle when it is in closed operative position. The side edges of said bowed body plate 14 are also preferably cut away or recessed, at the ends of said bowed portion 15, as at 1G16, to permit the passage of said plate downwardly between the projecting flanges or arms l4 which carry the pulley 8 and enable it to fit closely over the latter and in compact and flat position with relation to the underlying body plate 2 of the buckle body.

It will be understood that in operation the free end of the strap, 17, of the wrist band or other article is inserted from the front beneath the cam flange 12 of the clamp 5 and above the body plate 2 and between the clamp-carrying arms 33, and is then carried forward beneath the pulley 8 and between the pulley-carrying arms 4% (see Fig- 1), after which the end of the strap is drawn upwardly and in a reverse movement toward the front of the buckle, with a bearing against the pulley, in which movement the pulley revolves under the frictional action of the strap, until the desired degree of adjustment is reached, when the clamp 5 is brought down to closed position so that its cam flange 12 firmly binds the strap against the body plate 2 and retains it securely in adjusted position (see Fig. 2). The provision of the pulley member, in its association with the clamp, enables a convenient and effective adjustment of the strap prior to the securing of the same in adjusted position, and the adjustment pulley is thus an important adjunct and feature in the buckle construction, though the operation of the clamp itself is independent of the pulley. ln buckles of this character, as heretofore employed, the clamp member is operative to secure the strap in any position in which it has been passed through the buckle, but adjustment of the strap is uncertain and inconvenient under conditions in which an adjustment device or pulley were not employed in operative association with the clamp, and furthermore under such circumstances definite adjustments to very slight degrees would not be possible.

The improved pulley construction, as comprised in my invention, is therefore an important feature, especially in relation to the operative use of a buckle upon a wrist band or analogous article where very fine or slight degrees of adjustment are required, as the supplementary pulley member enables convenient and effective adjustment of the strap to a very slight degree, for instance i g of an inch, and the securing of the strap definitely in this fine degree of adjustment.

The means for fastening the buckle in permanent connection with the wrist band or other article are provided in rear of the pulley member, and in the improved construction comprised in my invention such means consist of a plate member, 18, preferably constituted by an extension projecting from the main body plate 2 of the buckle. Said plate member 18 extends on a plane parallel to the body plate 2 and is provided at its free edge with a transverse series of upwardly projecting teeth or serrations, 19, which bite into the underside of the terminal end, 20, of the body strap, 21, of the wrist band or analogous article to which the buckle is fastened, and thus provide an enhanced security. In the preferred con struction, the fastening plate 18 is provided with a transverse slot, 22, in which the fastening end 20 of the body strap 21 is received, the strap end being first passed downwardly through the slot and then turned rearwardly under the plate 18 and stitched or otherwise secured at its terminal edge, as at 23, to the strap body, thus forming a secure permanent connection of the body strap with the buckle. A supplementary fastening means is also preferably pro vided, consisting of plate flanges, 2l2e, respectively projecting from the side edges of the fastening plate 18 and bent upwardly and over and clamped tightly down against the top surface of the end portion 20 of the body strap 21 which overlies the plate 18. A double fastening means is thus provided, in which the top clamping plates 24*24; operate reversely to the teeth or serrations 19, which latter effectively prevent any slip ping of the body strap with relation to its fastened connection to the buckle, but said top plate fastening means, constituted by the extension side flanges from the plate 18, is not an essential feature of my invention, especially under the construction in which the body strap 21 is passed through the slot 22 and fastened to itself as at 23.

The fastening plate 18 is located on a plane below that of the body plate 2, this being efiected by bending down the plate 18 at its point of connection with the plate 2, as at 25, a sufficient distance to bring the entire structure of the fastening plate 18 and the strap end which it secures to a plane which does not extend above the top plane of the body plat-e 2 (see Fig. 2). In practice, the downward drop of the fastening plate 18 will be approximately of an inch. This differential plane between the body plate which carries the clamp and pulley and the body plate to which the end of the body strap is fastened is an important feature of the improved construction in that it offers no obstruction to the free passage of the end of the strap 17 in its insertion beneath the clamp and'adjustment pulley, and the free strap end may be conveniently slid at all times on the plane of the body plate2 and inserted and operated under the pulley without interference with the fastened end of the body strap 21.

In practical manufacture, the entire body 1 of the improvedbuckle is preferably constructed of a single sheet or blank of metal,

as shown in Fig. 6, which is bent up to form the several structural elements of the buckle body as hereinabove described, and the buckle thus consists of but three parts, to wit:

the one-piece body, and the clamp member 5 and pulley member 8 which are connected to and carried by the body.

The buckle is especially adapted, in its structural and operative features, for use in association with wrist band devices. and I have herein illustrated it in its connection with a wrist band device, 26, consisting of a pliable body in strap form, usually constructed of leather, and having the terminal body strap 21 to which the buckle is connected and the free strap end 17 which is passed through and secured by the buckle, the free strap end portion being first passed through a slot, 27, in the body portion of the wrist band adjacent the buckle end thereof, to form a loop surrounding the wrist, and then passed through and secured by the buckle and inserted in a supplementary keeper slot, 28, in the body of the wrist band in frontof said slot 27. This associate construction of the wrist band and the buckle enables very slightand definite adjustment of such wristdevices, which enabled by the improved pulley construction as before described. 1 do not, however, limit the application of the buckle, as comprised in my present invention, to wrist bands, but it may be employed in connection with similar articles or devices or straps under conditions which require accurate and slight adjustments and as a substitute for buckles of the tongue and eyelet type.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the detail construction and arrangement of parts as herein shown and described, as it is manifest that variations and modifications therein may be resorted to, in the adaptation of my invention to varying conditions of use, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. 1 therefore reserve the right to all such variations and modifications as properly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An improved buckle for wrist bands and similar uses, comprising a main body portion consisting of a flat base plate carrying upwardly-projecting side flanges or arms, a clamp member carried at the front of the body by said arms, and a pulley member consisting of a revoluble. cylindrical roller mounted above the base plate at a point in rear of said clamp member and operable independently thereof as a revoluble bearing for the strap before it is clamped by the clamp member, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An improved buckle for wrist bands and similar uses, comprising a main body portion consisting of a fiat base plate carrying upwardly-projecting side flanges or arms, a clamp member carried at the front of the body by said arms, and a pulley member consisting of a revoluble cylindrical roller constituted by a solid bar of cylindrical cross-section and reduced or circumferentially shouldered at its ends to form gudgeons operating in cylindrical bearings in said side arms, said revoluble roller being mounted above the base plate at a point in rear of said clamp member and operable independently thereof as a revoluble bearing for the strap before it is clamped by the clamp member, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. An improved buckle for wrist bands and similar uses, comprising a main body portion consisting of a flat base plate carrying upwardly-projecting side flanges or arms, a clamp member carried at the front of the body by said arms, and a pulley member consisting of a revoluble cylindrical roller mounted above the base plate at a point in rear of said clamp member and operable independently thereof as a revoluble bearing for the strap before it is clamped by the clamp member, said clamp member having a body portion constituted by a finger plate projecting rearwardly from its fulcrum and extended to overlie and cover the separate independent revoluble pulley member when the buckle is in closed position.

4. An improved buckle for wrist bands and similar uses, comprising a main body portion consisting of a flat base plate carrying upwardly-projecting side flanges or arms, a clamp member carried at the front of the body by said arms, and a pulley me1nber consisting of a revoluble cylindrical roller mounted above the base plate at a point in rear of said clamp member and operable independently thereof as a revoluble bearing for the strap before it is clamped by the clamp member, said clamp member having a body portion constituted by a finger plate projecting rearwardly from its fulcrum and extended to overlie and cover the separate independent pulley member and bowed transversely in concavoconvex form to fit over and conform to the segment of the circumference of the cylindrical roller when the buckle is in closed position.

5. An improved buckle for wrist bands and similar uses, comprising a main body portion consisting of a fiat base plate carrying upwardly-projecting side flanges or arms, a clamp member carried at the front of the body by said arms, and a pulley mem ber consisting of a revoluble cylindrical roller having bearings in said side arms and mounted above the base plate at a point in rear of said clamp member and operable independently thereof as a revoluble bearing for the strap before it is clamped by the clamp member, said clamp member having a body portion constituted by a finger plate projecting rearwardly from its fulcrum and extended to overlie and cover the separate independent pulley member and bowed transversely in concavo-convex form to fit over and conform to the segment of the circumference of the cylindrical roller and being cut away or recessed at the ends of said bowed portion to permit the passage of the plate downwardly between the projecting arms which carry the roller, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. An improved buckle for wrist bands and similar uses, comprising a main body portion consisting of a flat base plate carrying upwardly-projecting side flanges or arms, a clamp member carried at the front of the body by said arms, a pulley member consisting of a revoluble cylindrical roller mounted above the base plate at a point in rear of said clamp member and operable independently thereof as a re'voluble bearing for the strap before it is clamped by the clamp member, and a fastening plate member constituted by an extension of said base plate and projecting rearwardly therefrom beyond the position of the roller member, said fastening plate member having its body area entirely on a plane below that of the base plate and comprising means for securing the buckle in permanent connection with a strap end, whereby the strap connection Gopies of adjusting means of the buckle, and a fas- I tening plate member constituted by an eX- tension of said base plate and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said fastening plate member having its body area entirely on a plane parallel to and below that of the base in plate and comprising means for securing the buckle in permanent connection with a strap end and being provided at the edge of said parallel lower-plane body portion with upwardly projecting teeth or serrations to bite into the under side of the secured strap.

in testimony whereof I have slgned the foregoing specification.

HENRY JAMES COLLIS.

this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gummissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

